Among other things, the coronavirus scare has hit trade between India and China - in select body parts of bullocks - impacting beef business in places like former composite Adilabad district. China used to import calf muscles from the leg, rumen, and penis of bullocks reportedly for manufacturing absorbable sutures and aphrodisiacs.
“About one quintal of these body parts were sold to small time middlemen by beef butchers until the outbreak of the deadly virus and the subsequent suspension of traffic between the two countries. The turnover crosses scores of lakh of rupees by the time big traders from Hyderabad and Nanded in Maharashtra enter the scene for shipping to China,” revealed Intiqab Alam, a beef trader in town.
Closed trade
Against the general rate of ₹ 200 per kg of beef, the butchers used to sell the parts at ₹ 250 a kg to middlemen when the trade was booming. These parts are not being sold at all now as locals do not consume them or make aphrodisiacs out of the penis.
“Local beef eaters do not prefer the calf meat for its strong fibre which gets stuck in the teeth. Also, the rumen is not preferred owing to the fact that it holds the smelly undigested food,” he added.
Chickened out
A much severe impact of the virus scare, however, is localised and is being experienced by the poultry and goat/sheep meat trade - though a positive on the latter. There is about 70 per cent drop in consumption of poultry and a proportionate jump in consumption of goat and sheep meat since the outbreak of the COVID-19 rumours associating its spread with poultry in December 2019.
“I had to go in for distress sale of my poultry production in February suffering a huge loss just because of the rumours on social media,” lamented N. Manohar Reddy, the biggest poultry farmer in Adilabad. “I cannot go for new production unless the fear vanishes from people’s minds,” he rued.
While the rate of chicken has decreased from a high of ₹ 280 per kg to ₹ 120-140, the cost of a kg of goat/sheep meat rose to ₹ 560. “In Adilabad town alone some 500 goats and sheep are cut on Sundays instead of the 300 before the corona virus scare,” disclosed Abdul Khaliq, the biggest trader of meat animals in town.